The Domino Effect
by crazyarsonist
Summary: The Domino Effect: A chain reaction set in motion by even the smallest of causes.


**Useless Notes: **Just a little distraction before I continue _Shining Velocity_.

**Disclaimer:** Bleach doesn't belong to me.

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**The Domino Effect**

_**//Kenpachi//**_

Kenpachi stared in disbelief at the crumpled heap that lay in front of him and bounced his sword off his right shoulder.

"Get up," he growled, clearly disappointed. "This ain't what you showed me when we first met. Get up."

The bald man in front of him groaned something in reply.

Kenpachi swore, raised his right foot and connected a strong kick to the bald man's stomach.

The man swore just as loudly as his Captain and bolted up to his feet, the fire returning to his eyes. "What the _hell_, taichou?"

Kenpachi grinned. "Who the hell you think you're talkin' to? I'm your taichou an' I'm givin' you an order, so get your ass up and fight properly."

"I _was_ fighting properly, you asshole!" Ikkaku swore again and rubbed his sore midsection. "You didn't have t'kick me _that_ hard, dammit."

"That's the spirit," the bigger man grinned widely and jabbed a finger to his chest. "Now," he said to his subordinate. "Y'got twenty seconds to cut me an' give me a fatal wound. If you don't make the time limit, sucks for you- I'll be sendin' y'to the doctors again."

Ikkaku scowled. "I'll cut you up jus' fine, taichou, jus' y'wait."

Kenpachi laughed loudly. "Cut me up then if you can, so I know you ain't fulla air."

"Only one of us is goin' back to the Fourth Division this time, taichou," Ikkaku warned and got into his battle position. "And I know it sure as hell ain't gonna be me!"

Kenpachi laughed even louder. "That's the spirit!" he yelled, while blocking all of Ikkaku's blows with his sword. "Come on, Ikkaku! I know you ain't done yet! Come on!"

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Yumichika looked at the two men slashing each other and sighed, putting his hand in his palm. "So unbeautiful," he said. "At this rate, _both_ of them are going to go to the Fourth Division."

Beside him, Yachiru smiled broadly. "But it's what Ken-chan wants!" she chirped. "Look at him, he's happy again! And it's all because of Cue-Ball, ne Pom-Pom?"

Yumichika groaned at his new nickname, but paused for a minute, considering her words. "Hm. I suppose it _is_ alright," he put a hand through his hair. "But if one of them gets a permanent scar on their _faces_, then I don't know what I'd do."

"That's easy!" Yachiru giggled. "That means Cue-Ball will get another nickname!"

Yumichika made a face. "Somehow, I don't think he'll appreciate that."

Then suddenly, the whole world seemed to come to a standstill, as the two warriors suddenly stopped sparring. Yumichika turned to look and didn't stop the smile from appearing on his face. Kenpachi stood there, a huge, vertical line running from his shoulder to his ribs, and with his blood dripping slowly to the wooden floor.

Ikkaku looked at his Captain smugly and bounced Hozakimaru off his shoulder. "So taichou," he started. "Looks like I did get t'cut ya up after all."

Kenpachi's shoulders shook as he started roaring in laughter. "Son of a bitch," he panted in between laughs. "You son of a bitch, you got me."

"Yeah?" Ikkaku grinned widely. "Y'want me t'apologize or somethiin'?"

"I love it!" Kenpachi yelled towards the ceiling. "I fuckin' love this! Ah Ikkaku, you absolute son of a bitch! Come here- allow me t'return the favor!" And he leapt forward, and ended up thrusting his sword into thin air.

Ikkaku sidestepped the attack easily, but he knew that even if he'd injured his Captain, Kenpachi was still fully capable of landing a fatal blow of his own. "Let's go, taichou!" he challenged, getting in his battle position again.

Kenpachi threw his head back and laughed even more. "That's it! Just like I showed ya!" he turned towards Yachiru. "See Yachiru?" he said and looked at Yumichika. "Told ya these two weren't a waste 'a time!"

Yachiru nodded. "Ike, ike Ken-chan!" she cheered. "Go have more fun!"

But Kenpachi didn't need to be told twice. He charged towards Ikkaku, and the two men resumed their sparring match once again. Yumichika turned around and started walking out of the room. Ikkaku had really gotten better since the first time they'd met Kenpachi and the feeling of improvement had affected Yumichika as well.

"Pom-Pom?"

He turned back and smiled at Yachiru. "Call me when they're done. I'll be outside." He gripped the handle of Fuji Kuujaku tightly. He had training to do.

_**//Ikkaku//**_

Renji panted and wiped the dirt off his face. "Dammit," he swore, as he felt his blood swimming around in between his teeth.

"Had enough yet?" Ikkaku yelled out from in front of him.

Renji grinned and spat on the ground. "Not by a long shot," he grabbed Zabimaru again and charged towards his bald opponent, letting his blade sing in the air.

Ikkaku's eyes widened at the sudden attack and used Hozakimaru to block all of Renji's attacks. It was strange, he thought, the rookie was supposed to be all out of breath by now, and yet he was dealing him blows that could easily knock down a few seated officers. Renji's sudden burst of strength was surprising, but that didn't mean Ikkaku didn't like it.

"Oi, oi, rookie," the bald man challenged, thrusting Hozakimaru towards Renji's shoulder. Renji sidestepped the attack and brought down his Zabimaru to answer the other zanpaktou. "Y'ain't connectin' any of your blows today! What's wrong? Your lady love didn't talk to ya again or somethin'?"

Again with the insults, Renji thought, even though he knew they weren't meant to be personal. Ikkaku never failed to mention Rukia to him when the fight dragged on longer than usual, and especially when the advantage was slipping to the Third Seat. The insults were meant to rile him up; to get Renji's blood boiling enough, so he could make a decent enough counterattack. Not that Renji was complaining.

"Y'never fail to bring up Rukia in front of me, Ikkaku-san," the tattooed shinigami grinned his shark grin (a grin that seemed all-too familiar to his bald mentor). He extended Zabimaru and swung him forwards, meaning to catch Ikkaku's head. But Ikkaku was way ahead of him and brought down his Hozakimaru to deflect the other zanpaktou. "Only proves y'can't beat me in a fair fight- y'still have t'stoop down an' use words to hurt the other guy."

Ikkaku made a face and mocked Renji's comment. "Aw, did I hurt the big guy? Did I?" he sidestepped a blow meant for his left arm at the last moment and started twirling Hozakimaru between his fingers. And suddenly, his smile left his face almost as soon as it had appeared. "Your right's wide open, rookie."

Renji's eyes widened and steeled himself for the blow instead of defending. He had swung his Zabimaru in too deep and it would be impossible to get him back in time to block Ikkaku's oncoming attack. "Shit!"

But the sword stopped inches before its intended target and Renji felt disgusted with himself for letting out a sigh of relief. Ikkaku heard it too, but pretended otherwise. His shikai disappeared and went back into its unreleased state. Ikkaku then sheathed Hozakimaru and sat down on the training ground. Renji's Zabimaru did the same, and after sheathing him, Renji followed suit.

"You're gettin' better everyday, Renji," Ikkaku panted. "Keep this up an' y'just might make it to Fourth." Then, he paused, as if thinking of something. "Of course, not that y'could beat Yumichika so easily… Y'still got a long way t'go, if y'ask me."

Renji bowed slightly in acknowledgement. "You're gettin' harder t'cut these days yourself, Ikkaku-san."

Ikkaku laughed at that. "Well of course I'll be harder t'cut these days!" he said. "Don't want me endin' up in the Fourth for some serious injuries now, do I? Taichou'll have both our asses if any of us lands in the hospital again."

"Heh," Renji smiled slightly. "Looks like even Zaraki-taichou's been havin' a hard time takin' care of the Hollows all by himself."

"Looks like it," Ikkaku nodded. "But I'm sure he can handle 'em all by himself without us."

Renji nodded in agreement.

"Na," Ikkaku said seriously. "I heard y'had plans of movin' out sometime."

Renji looked up, surprised at how Ikkaku had found out about that.

"What's the matter, y'can't make it up the ladder in this Division too?"

"It's not that, Ikkaku-san. I-" Renji paused and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "There's just someone I want to… Someone I want to surpass."

Images of Byakuya.

Ikkaku nodded in understanding. "So y'really are after that Kuchiki girl, aren't ya?"

Images of Rukia.

"Aa."

"Well then," Ikkaku stood up suddenly, brushing the dust off his behind. "Y'go then an' beat his ass up jus' like yer doin' now. But y'gotta save a few pieces for taichou t'play with. Heard he wanted to get his hands on that Kuchiki Byakuya too."

"Aa." Renji stood up as well, mimicking Ikkaku's actions.

Ikkaku walked on ahead, but looked back at Renji. "Yer doin' fine, Renji," he said, his smile returning to his face. "If y'lose to that stuck-up bastard, I'll never forgive you."

The heat rushed to Renji's face and he sputtered, finding the threat a tad too heavy for his tastes. "But he's a-!" he tried to explain. "And I'm just a-"

"Ass," Ikkaku grunted. "Who d'you think trained ya, huh?"

Renji hung his head slightly.

Ikkaku nodded. "That's right, big man. An' I don't train losers, so there!"

"But…" Renji countered. "I'm the only one you've trained so far, Ikkaku-san."

This time, it was Ikkaku's turn to sputter. "The hell y'think y'are, ruining the moment here, aa?" he yelled, swinging Hozakimaru around dangerously. "Asshole!"

Renji laughed and jogged up to Ikkaku, causing him to stop his ranting. "Thanks a lot, Ikkaku-san!" he bowed. "Y'sure have taught me a lot over our training!"

Ikkaku grinned and slung his arm over Renji's shoulders. "Ain't that right!" he then started walking forward, dragging the other shinigami along with him. "Now what say we hit the bar again tonight? It ain't that late out anyway, an' if we're lucky we can run into Iba-san an' the others."

Renji sighed, as if he had no other choice in the matter, but broke out into a wide grin beside Ikkaku. "Aa!"

Then, Ikkaku looked at him, suddenly serious. "But this time, _you're_ payin', rookie," he said.

"What?" Renji yelled out. "Whaddid I do this time?"

"You ruined the moment, y'dumbass." Ikkaku answered smugly, as if that explained things. "An' as my kouhai, ain't you s'pposed t'be followin' my orders? I outrank you, in case y'didn't notice!"

"Hai, hai," Renji hung his head and grumbled.

"Aw don't feel bad about it," Ikkaku said. "I'm sure one day, you'll find someone to boss around too."

"R-really?" Renji asked, taking that as an acknowledgement to his skills. "Y'really think so?"

"Nah," Ikkaku laughed. "Jus' yankin' yer chain." Seeing the frown on Renji's face, Ikkaku broke out into another grin. "But who said y'had t'listen to me?"

_**//Renji//**_

Their first meeting had not been pleasant.

Urahara had introduced the two to each other months before word of another war broke out. Renji had a scowl on his face the whole time, while the other man only stared ahead serenely. It was just like the notorious stare-downs of boxing tradition, only Renji was the only one who looked ready to fight.

Chad, meanwhile, couldn't care less of how the shinigami would react to this strange proposal. He only wanted to get stronger so he could save Inoue and protect his other friends. If this was the only way to do that, then he would tolerate training with this shinigami who didn't look at all excited for it. In fact, it looked like he was forced into the situation himself, and his intense dislike was written all over his face.

"Oi, oi!" Renji shouted, causing Chad looked up in surprise. He grunted in surprise as he took a hit from Zabimaru. "Where's your head at, kid? Get your head out of the clouds an' fight me seriously!"

Chad's right arm powered up and he let an energy blast fly up toward Renji. His opponent dodged it easily, and landed in front of Chad on the training ground. The larger man readied himself, in case Renji would try to come in from a closer range.

But that was not going to happen. Renji sighed, shook his head and raised his vacant hand, while Zabimaru went back into his unreleased state. "Woah, woah, woah," he said, still shaking his head. "Is this honestly all y'can do?"

Chad's arm also went back into its normal state and he hung his head, panting heavily.

"It's pathetic, if y'want me t'be honest," Renji scratched his head awkwardly. He clearly wasn't used to putting people down like that. "What's up?"

Chad looked up at the shinigami, surprised at the look of concern on his face.

"Y'know, it wouldn't hurt to talk."

"I'm sorry." Chad finally spoke, his disappointment replacing his earlier surprise. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Abarai-san."

Renji stared at him, surprised with what he said. Then, he looked around and shifted uneasily, still not quite sure on how to handle the situation.

"I know you were probably forced into this and I thank you for your time, but," he paused, still keeping his gaze on the ground. "I think I'm not yet strong enough to be of any use. I'd understand completely if you went on ahead. I'll just go train on my own and try to figure this out."

"Hmph," Renji huffed, and Chad knew that the shinigami had only heard part of what he'd said. "You're pathetic an' a weakling as well. I never thought Ichigo hung out with such pansies."

Chad kept quiet, still staring at the ground.

"But luckily for you, that all ends today," he finished and uncrossed his arms.

Chad looked up suddenly, surprised at the sudden development. "A-Abarai-san?"

"Look, lemme be honest with you," Renji said, maintaining eye contact with Chad. "I wasn't too eager on trainin' you at first, but that Urahara son of a bitch told me he'd give me the answers I was lookin' for if I put up with you. So I did an' this is the kind of attitude you give me."

"I'm sorry-"

"No." Renji shook his head firmly. "Stop apologizin' an' quit puttin' your head down like that. It doesn't fit you."

Chad looked up again.

"There we go," the shinigami grinned. "You're a big guy, Chad, an' it doesn't suit a big guy like you to be puttin' his head down like that all the time."

Chad nodded and allowed the smallest of smiles to cross his features. Renji's grin was starting to get contagious.

"Now," he continued. "Everyone's a pathetic weakling at first. The point of trainin' is t'get stronger an' t'quit bein' such a pansy. _You_," he poked a finger to Chad's chest. "You're no exception. So when I call you a weak, pathetic pansy, y'don't have t'be so put down about it. It's only our third day, an' I don't really expect you t'be awful strong. Got that?"

He nodded again.

"Okay," he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Now, about your fightin' skills, they ain't so bad. It's just that, big guy like you, you tend t'forget your footwork an' balance. For guys as big as you, it's all about power an' strength. However," he paused to catch his breath. "You forget t'balance yourself which isn't good at all, since your enemy'll be able to get you on your ass before you even know it."

Chad was starting to seriously consider bringing a notebook with him the next time he went for training.

"Another thing's your defense," Renji continued. "Your attacks rely mostly on your arm swing, so when you use that," he imitated Chad's attack pattern by swinging his arm. "You leave your inside wide open. And?"

"They can get to me."

Renji nodded. "So, what do y'plan on doin' about that?"

"Use my left arm to cover myself," Chad demonstrated, bringing his left arm up to block an imaginary attack. "Then I bring my right quickly to attack again."

"Good," Renji nodded in approval. "Your fightin's ain't half-bad. It's just that y'got a couple of problems y'have t'deal with an' you got your head in the clouds a lot. That's gotta stop, big man. Y'can't have your concentration leavin' you for a minute, just because y'might've forgotten somethin'."

"Hai."

Renji nodded and stared off into the distance, obviously thinking of something. Then, he turned back towards Chad and asked seriously. "Why do you fight?"

Chad stared back at Renji, too surprised for words. But when he saw the expectant look on the shinigami's face, he knew he had to give him an answer soon.

He looked down at his fist and looked back up at Renji. "To protect my friends."

Renji nodded. "Then fight me as if I was tryin' t'hurt them."

"Abarai-san?"

"Heh," he grinned. "Don't worry about me, kiddo. It's been too long since I had a good fight, an' I think y'just might be up to it."

Chad looked on in surprise, while Renji walked a little farther off to resume their spar. "Let's go, big man. I'm waitin'."

Chad paused, took in a large breath and let the power get back into his system. His right arm flared up again and he looked ahead at Renji, trying to decide where to come in.

"Oho," Renji laughed. "So y'got yourself a warface after all." He took out Zabimaru and raised it in front of him. "Let's see if you're more'n just that. Howl, Zabimaru!"

Chad nearly staggered at the intense amount of reiatsu that suddenly flowed out of Renji and his released weapon. But he caught himself in time and dug his feet into the ground, waiting for Renji to make the first move.

He did, and Chad greeted his attack head-on. Renji laughed wildly, apparently thrilled at the power Chad was releasing himself. Chad blocked blow after blow, letting his opponent take the offensive. Then, he raised his arm and moved in to land in a punch. But it wasn't going to be that easy. Renji saw right through his move and evaded it, landing a blow on Chad's midsection. But he didn't fall down and absorbed the attack instead, still hungry for more.

It was Chad's first time to be this excited in a fight, and it was clear that Renji's adrenaline rush, along with his grin, were getting contagious.

He took in Renji's advice and applied it during their later spars. Eventually, he fell down less and less, absorbing every blow that was being handed to him. His defense got stronger, as he learned to master his deadly counterattacks, much to Renji's delight.

"That's the stuff!" he yelled from above Chad, swinging Zabimaru around. "Yer gettin' real good at this, kid! An' get your head in here! This ain't no time t'be daydreamin'!"

Chad looked up and flashed a smile toward the shinigami, getting ready to fire another energy blast. There was no more need to put his head down. Not anymore.

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**A/N:** I didn't do much research on this, to be honest, which was why I had Renji state the obvious regarding Chad's fighting style. But you gotta admit, he did look smarter giving Chad a serious lecture like that.


End file.
